A Foolish Vow

   

 And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.”

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        And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.”
Judges 11:30-31,35

I once went to a week long seminar, and towards the close of the seminar, the speaker asked if we would lift our hands if we'd make a vow to the Lord to spend at least five minutes every day reading the Bible.  Many people lifted their hands, but I did not.  I had a great fear of breaking my vow to the Lord.  Now, five minutes a day is more than doable, but what if I forgot?  What if I was in the hospital and couldn't read?  What if I were to merely get busy and fail to do it?  Somehow I could not make that vow! 

This morning my readings were in the book of Judges, and Jephthah was one of the judges I read about.  Jephthah's vow seemed a very foolish one to me, even though he was a vigilant judge and soldier and desirous of defeating God's enemy.  What did he expect to come out of the house?  His dog?  I do not believe that a vow to read the Bible 5 minutes a day is a foolish vow at all.  I try to spend more than 5 minutes everyday reading God's Word, but had I made the vow and not kept it, I would have been responsible to God for breaking a solemn vow to Him.   

I made a vow to my husband on our wedding day, a holy vow to the Lord.  I have kept it for almost 44 years now and intend to keep it for the rest of my life.  I think there a worthy things to vow to God, and reading the Bible everyday is one of those very worthy ones. But it is most important that when one makes a vow, he is faithful to fulfill it.  God has strict standards for keeping a vow to Him. 

This is not to frighten you  from making a vow to the Lord.  It is really an encouragement to keep your vows when you make them, and not to make a foolish vow.

 Gloria